


MysticTober

by lilacnightmares



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, F/F, F/M, Fictober 2020, Fluff, Friendship, Halloween, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, MysticTober 2020, Romance, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:00:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 21,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26752504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilacnightmares/pseuds/lilacnightmares
Summary: Daily Prompts every day for the month of October. Based on all my MCs and their relationships with the RFA, since that's what fuels this author to write with glee and constancy.
Relationships: 707 | Choi Luciel/Original Character(s), Choi Saeran/Original Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	1. Heart

**HEART**

Who would have ever thought that one day he would escape the dungeon of computers that he had been confined to by the person he thought to be his Savior? He never thought that he would leave behind the Mint Eye, much less find himself with the RFA in the middle of C&R. Yet, here he was, sitting in the middle of C&R with the people he had been watching for so long from after and-- 

Her. 

Lila was the variable that he never considered and God, had he known that such a wonderful person was going to come into his life, he may have tried harder to be a good person. she was here with him even though he had made mistake after mistake in her company. Now that he could look back on what happened and his choices? 

If he had been in her shoes, he isn't sure that he would have stayed so calm, or kind, for that matter. 

He was happy that she stayed, and in spite of all of his grief and misery, she saw the good in his heart and tried to help him find it. He did find it, on his own after all the pieces finally clicked and he came out of that knowing one solid fact: 

She was his everything. 

Saeran could thank her for sticking by his side as he discovered what was right and what was wrong in his life; It took so much for him to realize just how much he had been manipulated. She never once turned her frustration or fear onto him. She merely went and extended her hand to him and he took it instead of brushing her off and ignoring the light. 

Nobody had ever had faith in Saeran before, nor had anyone looked at Ray and listened to a word that he said. Yet, she took everything in stride, blow or no blow, she held onto their hand and smiled despite it all. Never once stopping to ignore what he said, she hung on his every word, listening and waiting for him to finish before she opened her mouth. 

Was this what it felt like to be treated with warmth…no, respect? 

He found himself lost in that thought as he gazed at the back of her head, as she was deeply invested in conversation with Jumin and Jaehee. Her laughter was like music to his ears and even though he didn't know all that she was saying, his heart still fluttered in his chest as it had the first day that he had met her and she had  _ stolen his heart _ . 

"Saeran?" Her voice called out to him, and he watched as she spun around and looked at him with that bright smile on her face. "My darling, are you just going to stare at the back of my head all night, or are you going to join us? Jumin could use a partner in this discussion, I have a feeling you'd be passionate about it!" 

In spite of his nature, his lips had the smallest quirk of a smile at the edge. His tired eyes may have told him he was still weary from the long night of work, but his heart told him that he could never truly feel exhausted as long as he was in the company of his lover, the one in which he had promised himself for the remaining four seasons of his life till the end of days. 

"I'm coming," he responded, thinking only of the bright future ahead of them. "You know I always come when you call." 


	2. Favorite Call

**FAVORITE CALL**

It was a late night, and there was no sign of the moon underneath the thicket of clouds in the night sky which left things rather barren and dark. Reasonably, it should have allowed for most people to get to sleep far sooner than normal since the light reflected on the moon from the sun couldn’t illuminate the earth. 

However, things weren’t always as easy as they seemed to be. 

She rolled over, letting out a sigh as the restless energy pounded harshly against the back of her head. It wasn’t the first time in her life that she felt uneasy but Lila wished that it would be the last time because it was really starting to affect her quality of sleep. 

Since it felt like she wasn’t going to get any rest, she reached across the sheets to see where she had left her phone earlier to flick it to life. It read that it was half-past three. Too late to go back to sleep and just too early to pray that one could roll over and try again. Frustrating, but it was merely a fact of life that one had to face. 

“Oh well,” she mumbled. 

Nobody was online in the chatroom. It struck her as odd given Seven would always be awake when things got late. She couldn’t even pause to distract herself from this sleepless torment. Playing Ray’s endless game should have been enough but she had to wait for them to make the first move, them being the avatars in the game. 

Lila sighed and went to set her phone down, however, just before she let it slip from her fingers, a ringtone began to play from the device. 

She lifted it to her face and saw that it was Ray calling her, now, that was a distraction that she would readily welcome at this hour. She pressed the device to her ear and answered, “Mmm, good evening, Ray. You’re awake at this hour?”

Ray sounded just as surprised that she wasn’t asleep, either. He stuttered, his voice drawing back to a low hum as it seemed as though he thought the call would go to voicemail. “You’re… you’re not asleep, yet, my princess?” 

“I was,” she responded, softly. “I just have a hard time resting during the night… it’s not the room or anything. I’ve just got insomnia. What about you? Why aren’t you resting at this hour, then?” 

He was quiet for a moment, thoughtful. "Ah... I was working and lost track of the hour. I don't have to sleep. I just take my... elixir to feel refreshed, so, there's no need to worry about me. I just... I just needed to hear your voice. I'm glad that I didn't wake you up, but you should try to get back to sleep, and... is it okay if... can I talk to you until you go to bed?"

She would enjoy his company. She always did. So, she smiled in spite of herself and set the phone down on the pillow next to her head and breathed a sigh. “Of course, Ray. I always love talking with you, and this way, it’s like we’re together. You wanted to hear my voice? Well, what did you want to talk about, then, Ray?” 

Lila wouldn’t deny that her eyelids felt heavy but it was Ray. She would do anything to spend a moment with him since his free time was so few and far between, and when she was with him, it just felt like everything was right in the world. 

“Anything… anything is alright. I don’t care what it is as long as I can hear you. Then again… I want you to rest at night. Um, then… is there anything I can do to help you rest? Maybe, I could sing you a lullaby?”

Lila tried to imagine Ray as he was at that moment, sitting at his desk with his head pressed into his palm, eyes hesitating to stare at his work as he thoughtfully gazed at the ceiling. There would be the faintest smile on his face that only she was privy to. Him offering to do something like that for her sake? Daring tonight, aren’t we? 

“Really? That’s sweet of you to offer, Ray.” 

“Oh… I didn’t think you would like the idea,” his nerves were obvious in his tone. “I mean, that makes me really happy too. Um, this is embarrassing… if you get tired, just hang up… okay? I wouldn’t want to keep you up too late.” 

Lila wanted to tell him that he was never a bother, and that was she was always happy to hear him speak to her like this, so intimately. However, she knew that he was just as shy when it came to being bold in his actions towards another person as she was. So, she hummed in response and let herself relax against the mattress. 

His voice was soft, very feather-like, much like his touch when he intertwined their fingers. “Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are… Up above the world so high… like a diamond in the sky….When the blazing sun is gone, when he nothing shines upon... then you show your little light, twinkle, twinkle, all the night..." 

Ray stilled himself and waited a long moment after the other line had gone quiet. He pulled it away from his face and glanced down at the call.

She hadn’t hung up on him, but she had definitely gone quiet. 

"Um... are you sleepy yet? No?" he pursed his lip, "Are you asleep, then? I don't hear anything. Oh, there it is, you're breathing... you're asleep. Good. I hope that you sleep well now."

No answer. 

He stilled his racing heart that had dared to pound harder when he dared to do something a bit more brazen. "Actually, I wanted to be by your side to sing for you, Lila. I wanted to hold your hand and feel your smile on me. I wanted to hear you whisper so softly until you fell asleep at my side. But, it's okay. I like hearing the sound of your breathing too. If it's not too selfish of me, I hope I'm there in your dreams. Rest well, my princess."


	3. Monster

**MONSTER**

Her breath caught in her throat as she stared up at him from the floor where she had been cornered like prey to the slaughter. He sneered down at her with that cunning smirk of his taunting her for daring to think that he was Ray. How was she supposed to know that he wasn’t Ray when she had no idea that it was even possible that there was someone else there? 

Ray had always had moments he was spacey or distracted, but she didn’t know that his trauma had gone and manifested so badly in his life that his personality fractured some time when he was a child and splintered in multiple paths for his own protection. 

This person, while not Ray, still existed here alongside Ray, and they both had a purpose. She couldn’t think straight, though, to figure it out or why it was happening in the first place. 

Saeran, as he had called himself, lowered himself to the ground but still managed to tower over her tiny form. There was a good eight inches that separated his body and her body in height, but for some odd reason, it felt even larger today. Her skirt pooled around her legs in spite of the petticoat that kept the look upright. 

He laughed and laughed harder as her fingers trembled against the ground. Lila hadn’t expected him to say such vulgar things. Not even Ray had said anything that nasty before, not even when he was upset about V or Seven. No matter how tiny she made herself, Saeran pushed deeper and deeper into her safe space. 

“Aren’t you such a frightened little doll?” his voice was haughty, taunting her to answer him. “C’mon, you can give me a much more interesting response than this. Plead, scream, beg for mercy from your master, toy.” 

Lila stared at him, lips slightly agape as she tried to think of something to say or something to do but nothing would come to mind. The shock of his actions and words had left her speechless and for the first time in her life, she had no idea how to handle herself. Saeran didn’t like that, though, he didn’t seem to like a lot of things. 

His forefinger and thumb roughly grasped at her chin and made her look into his eyes. “I didn’t hear you, speak up.” 

“...I,” she mustered the energy to say that much. “What… what am I supposed to say?” 

Disappointment clouded his features for a short moment but it was destroyed just as quickly as it had appeared, replaced with something more twisted, more devious. “Oh? There are plenty of things that you could say to me. I can imagine all kinds of games that we can play and all sorts of things that you can do for me that that bug will never get to have himself.” 

Lila swallowed, hard. 

Saeran’s free hand brush against her cheek in a soft gesture as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, chuckling at how desperate she looked at that moment. “Oh? I love this look in your eyes, toy, it’s like you have met the most dangerous _monster_ in the world and now you don’t know what to tell him to save your life. You’re utterly at my mercy. Isn’t that comforting? Now you don’t have to worry about anything but obeying me.”

“...” 

“Don’t worry, we’re going to have so much fun in this toybox.” 


	4. Angel / Demon

**ANGEL / DEMON**

Saeyoung felt like he was forever cursed to lay in the darkness where he had fallen from grace. He had accepted that his wings had been clipped and that he would never know what it was like to feel the sun on his face ever again. It was his curse to hold in his hands for the sake of rescuing his brother but it had been worth the trouble that it entailed. 

As long as Saeran was able to see the sun, he cared not what happened to him or what became of his body or life force. A small price to pay, but the needs of his only brother were all that mattered to him in the long run. 

At least, that’s what he had told himself time and time again. It wasn’t until he saw the outstretched hand from the light reaching out to him in his abyss that he ever considered that there may be another option for him to take. 

His hesitation was notable, but he could not keep himself tied down to the bottom of the river forever when more and more people dared to dive to his resting place. Her smile was infectious and dared to pull him from the murky waters of hell and bring him back into the light, but Saeyoung, curse his fate, he was scared to see the light again. 

“You shouldn’t let go of your happiness,” Judas’ voice rang in the back of his head every single time he tried to get away from the sun. “Everyone deserves happiness somewhere along the line, Luciel, and if you deny yourself the simple pleasure of joy than you will forever waste away at the bottom of this pool you’ve created for yourself. Nobody put you there, you tied your own bricks, darling.” 

Bold words coming from a man that had made a deal with the devil for his own simple pleasure and his price for giving it away from having a price on his head higher than anyone could believe. Yet, Saeyoung found himself just as drawn to the demon as he was to the blinding light of the angel that wanted to give him a piece of her heart and her smile. 

Minji had known nothing but a world of love and happiness, and she didn’t know what it was like to suffer unspeakable things. Yet, she had a heart that seemed to understand that people who had been hurt needed to be heard in the midst of their tears and reminded that they deserved a chance to hold their own smile once more. 

How could this hopelessly fallen angel find himself craving what he had been denied for reasons out of his control? How could he want something that he could never truly hold tightly for the fear of that joy being taken away once again? 

His heart pounded in his chest nevertheless, reminding him that no matter how deep he sank into the waters of Hell, there would always be a part of him that longed for what he had convinced himself that he didn’t deserve. 

“Seven,” her voice was like a melody in his ears when he tried to cover them tightly. “You know that you can talk to me about anything, right? I don’t know what you’ve been through in the past, but I want to be there for you now if you’ll let me inside your heart for only a moment.”

In spite of everything, Saeyoung found himself reaching out with both of his hands. 

Perhaps, this time, he would be given a chance to see what it felt like to be selfishly happy. 


	5. Jumin's Birthday

**JUMIN'S BIRTHDAY**

“Wow, you really outdid yourself this time around, you guys.” 

“Well, there’s truly nothing but the best for our friend, Jumin.” 

“That, and Minji was delighted that she had the chance to make something cat-themed and there was nothing that I could do to stop her once she got the idea in her head.” 

Minji was really a baking powerhouse and once she had combined her efforts with Jaehee and Saeran, there was nothing in this world that could stop them from making a showstopping piece of pastry that was the envy of everyone else in the room.

After the two girls had gone into business together thanks to Jaehee’s confidence to try something that she loved, alongside the support from Minji’s partners, Judas and Saeyoung, well, there was nothing in the way, they just went full steam ahead. The business was doing rather well after six months of being in business. 

As it happened, Jumin’s birthday was finally around once more and everyone wanted to give him a party to enjoy after everything that had happened with Jihyun. They were doing… better after every member had learned more or less what he had been hiding from all of them. V had tried to save them the grief of knowing what had become of Rika. 

But, it was only a matter of time until everyone knew what went wrong. Even so, each party this year was a bigger celebration because they were a family and family sticks together, especially after what they had dealt with. The past January marked a full year since the events occurred, and now they were a year and a half away from that past. 

Looking forward to the future. 

Saying that they had gone out of their way to make this was no surprise. Minji had made a 3-tiered cake with a lifelike Elizabeth on the side. Saeran had humored her pleading request for him to come and give him help in the process, only because she had asked nicely and Lila thought it was a good idea for him to involve himself in something “fun”.

She felt good about pushing him two steps ahead now that she was seeing him with a faint smile on his face as Minji nudged his shoulder and laughed. “It’s thanks to this guy, he had so many recipes hidden up his sleeves that Jaehee and I didn’t even start to consider until he pointed out the obvious. Saeran is a big help, don’t let him downplay it.” 

Saeran rubbed at the spot that Minji touched. He glanced away from them, not saying much but Lila knew that he was alright. 

Jaehee nodded in agreement, “Yes, and the evening will turn out well thanks to our combined efforts here. Zen, Judas, and Saeyoung have been working on the party details. I take it you’ve come to deliver good news from them, Lila?” 

A lightbulb popped off in the back of her head, Lila pressed her hands together and nodded. She couldn’t stop the sheepish smile that had appeared on her face. She had just gotten distracted when she saw all the sweets and treats ready to be taken over the party location this afternoon that it had almost completely slipped her mind! 

“I almost forgot. Yeah, Yoosung and V have taken the job of keeping him busy for the rest of the day so we don’t have to worry about him getting suspicious of anything. The guys were wondering when you were going to be heading over, so I offered to come by and help you guys load up the truck. I wasn’t all that much help over there, they’re doing the heavy lifting.” 

“Oh, thank goodness,” Jaehee sighed. She set down her clipboard and motioned for Lila to come over the counter. “We could use the help. We were just about the head over there. C’mon, you can help me in the back while Saeran and Minji make sure everything is alright in the freezer.”

“Sure thing!” 

The night ahead was looking to be a wonderful prospect for their friend, Jumin. He deserved a moment to feel at peace, just as the rest of them had when it was their turn to take the spotlight from everyone else. 


	6. Flowers

FLOWERS 

Lila spun around as she tried to take in the view of the garden. “There’s so many… I don’t even know that I can name all of these. I can’t believe that this place was hiding such a massive garden just a few feet from my bedroom.” 

Her eyes had lit up in such a way that he couldn’t describe on his own. Ray had known that it would bring a smile to her face but he had no way of knowing that she would laugh and look at him with this longing gaze that made his heart clatter against his chest. It paled in comparison to the photos that he had seen her on her social media. 

If he thought that he loved her from the moment he saw her photo, he loved her impossibly more when she stood in front of him in a sea of color, bathed in moonlight, and the twinkling stars that stood overhead. It was one thing to see it, but it was another thing entirely to experience it firsthand like this. 

Ray had long imagined what it would feel like to be in the garden with Lila, but words failed him to describe how he was feeling. All he could say was that the air was electric and the static of his adoration hung to him like static cling. He didn’t mind it, he didn’t mind the way that it weighed him down like a ton of bricks. 

He welcomed the weights embrace. 

For being able to see Lila flourish in paradise was all that he ever wanted and it felt like all of the hard work that he had put into this puzzle was finally starting to reach the full picture. He just needed to put down a few more pieces and then, his garden would be multi-toned, vibrant, and whole for the first time in his life. 

If he could have captured this moment forever, he would have, but not even a photograph on his phone could prove to be enough to hold this feeling. Nevertheless, he couldn’t stop himself from taking one photo to help him remember what this looked like if his memory failed him due to the elixir. 

Ray wanted this to last forever, a singular moment in the span of his life that actually made him want to smile, and it had been so long since he had been able to say that he had one of these. He was caught up in this feeling, this warmth, so much so that he didn’t even realize that Lila had come back to his side. 

She peered up at him, that breathtaking smile on her face not once fading from his view. “Hey, don’t just stand there, Ray. I know you’ve been cooped up for a while too, let’s enjoy tonight together for as long as we can. I want to see all the flowers that you’ve shown me.” 

He hesitated but took her hand in his own. The moment dared to allow him to join it rather than be a witness, and as nervous as that made him, he wanted to take as much as he could hold onto for as long as he could. If she would allowed it, he would always come at her beck and call if it meant that he was by her side. 

“Alright.” 


	7. Hourglass

HOURGLASS 

No matter how hard she tried to reach for the stars and dig herself out of the sand that was pooling at her feet, she could find no relief or escape from this prison in which she was entrapped. It was made in such a way that she would always be confined to its wall, at the mercy of whoever controlled the sands of time that she resided inside. 

Yet, she accepted this as fact, as something that she couldn’t control and as something that would hang over her head like a looming shadow. She had to leave behind everything that had defined her to covet and protect the one that she loved most, and in that, she lost her sense of self to the rose-colored glass that strained her body. 

Colored mint, the tone of her sins and atrocities as well as the color of his eyes that had drawn her in, in the first place. 

Bitter as she felt now, the moments when she hadn’t had enough elixir to cover up her fears and compulsions were the worst. She felt sick to her stomach, and no amount of water would quench this ungodly thirst. It was like she was lost in a desert and whenever she felt the taste of water, it was merely a mirage.

Wisteria stared blankly ahead of herself, as the flickering monitors buzzed in and out of life only giving the hint of progress every now and again. There was an aching feeling in her chest but she was far too numb to even consider what to do with it. There was nothing to do and no one to talk to while he was gone… no way to get this feeling to go away. 

She needed… 

What did she need?

What was going to fix this ache? 

What was likely to make her feel alive again? 

A hand pressed against her shoulder and trailed to her cheek where she was forced to turn her face to look at the source of the motion. She found herself lost in pools of emerald, breathing in deeply as her senses went fuzzy. The face looked familiar but the longer that she went without drinking the elixir, the more her memory was shot. 

Normally, when Wisteria saw Unknown, she felt enthralled, wicked, and ready to assert her claim on him just as he was to her. They were partners, weren’t they? Lost in their misery and only clinging to the last shred of positive feeling that either one of them had experienced in such a long time.

But, now? She felt flat and uncertain. 

Unknown seemed to understand that. He knew that feeling and that look in her eyes. It hadn’t been his choice for her to take the elixir, it had been forced upon her by the Savior to prove something to him and made him listen and obey more. He sighed and muttered something underneath his breath that she didn’t understand. 

“C’mon,” he grumbled. “I don’t know how long you’ve been waiting up for me but you damn well need to be in bed. I’ll deal with your lapse when we get up. She’s been withholding your dose just to spite me for not capturing the party planner.” 

“...Okay,” her voice sounded broken. 

He pulled her into his arms and she settled with her head against his chest. “Don’t sound so damn pitiful. I’ll take care of it.” 


	8. Cafe

CAFE

“Boys, are you just going to stand there all day or are you going to order something to support the business?” 

Saeyoung sputtered, his words utterly nonsensical in nature. He was floored that she had called him out, watching her lean forward against the counter as her blond curls framed her face. Normally, he was incredibly happy to play her little games and tease his girlfriend back, but today, she had caught him off-guard, and that had been the last thing on his mind. 

“Oh, I will, darling,” Judas called over to their girlfriend. A smirk appeared on his face as slid his foot just a bit further underneath the table they were sitting at as he hooked it around Saeyoung’s ankle and relished in Saeyoung’s floundering. “Why don’t you bring over the house special? I think Jaehee has finally perfected her blend. I wanna give it a try.” 

Minji beamed at his response. She stood up and looked behind the counter to where Jaehee was putting out some of the afternoon snacks for the rush that they got when people were leaving work and on their way home. “Jaehee! Could you get some of the dark roasts? Judas wants to see if you’ve struck gold.” 

Jaehee stared at her for a moment, then chuckled. “Alright, alright. He may be trying on my nerves but I do respect his taste.” 

“Thanks,” Minji smiled. “Besides, you’ve been working hard for weeks to get the calculations right, we have to test it on someone fresh every now and again! Otherwise, we may get burnt out on the coffee beans.” 

Minji was glad that she had followed her heart when she started talking to Jaehee about what she wanted to do with her life now that things had calmed down. 

The two of them decided that they had shared interests, Jaehee was passionate about coffee and Minji was determined to bake no matter what happened. It just seemed logical for them to decide to open a cafe together as friends. 

They were business partners, and things couldn’t have been better between the two of them. 

Even though Minji spent a lot of time making latte art with cats. To be fair, it had garnered a crowd from the social media platforms so she couldn’t whine all that much. All she had to do was keep up with the demand and Jaehee didn’t mind. 

Foam cats were far better than actual cats in her opinion! 

Jaehee was doing a lot better here than she ever had with C&R. The pay had been great and all, but she had never felt content with her life or what she was doing. Minji could see that a mile away, and Jumin asked too much of her and she never bowed her head when she should have.

It had only been a matter of time until things went south. 

The end hadn’t been all that messy but everyone railed around her when she needed it most and that’s how she was able to figure out what it was that she wanted the most. 

She deserved to feel like she was in control of her life and the direction that it was going. Minji felt lucky that she could share this with her friend. She smiled as Jaehee doled out the drinks to the two men with a smile. Saeyoung teased her a bit with a laugh, and Judas reassured her when she felt a bit flustered. 

Life was finding a new normal and for Minji, she was just happy with that. Now, as long as everyone could behave then it would be alright. 

“Absolutely not, Saeyoung. That’s an impossible request.” 

“Minji! What do you think about nine glasses connected to make a Longcat? It could be a group special!” 

“Darling, are you just saying that because you want everyone to come here?”

“I think it’s a meowy good idea!” Minji snickered. 


	9. Church

CHURCH

She was on her knees in front of him, a murmur of salvation on her lips as she gazed up at her Savior and lavished in his company. There had been a time before this, a time before she understood just how things were but Rika had made everything come together once and for all and now she knew nothing but peace. It was a burning peace that made sense. 

“Amen,” she whispered. 

Her Savior was a busy man, but she was always at his right hand. It was her gift for her utter adoration and loyalty to him. However, he seemed distracted as of late. His eyes were always gazing at the sky for some reason. 

It wasn’t like they didn’t have free time. When he wasn’t attending the sermons every day, he would meet with Rika to talk about what she was taking care of. 

Her duty was ensuring that paradise ran smoothly from the background. Paradise wasn’t built in a day and it took many hands, not just those of the Savior. He was far too important to waste his time on any small tasks. It was easier that way for him. Lila just wished that he would be able to slow down or at the least, tell her what was troubling him. 

She was his confidant. 

His precious believer. 

He kept looking out that window. Perhaps, he was thinking of their future, or maybe he was thinking of their solution. They were going to win soon and nobody would try to take them down or stop them anymore. It was only a matter of time. Scooting forward, she sat by his side on the floor and rested her head against his thigh. 

He had often said that she could be at his side and not on the ground when Rika wasn’t around, but she liked this position, to be honest. She liked the way that he would dote on her like this like they were meant to be. Like clockwork, his head 

brushed against the top of her head and stroke down the carefully planned curls. She sighed, contentedly. “I’m happy you let me stay with you, my savior.” 

His breath always hitched whenever she called him that. However, he had a harder time responding to Ray or Saeran, and Rika would always bounce between the two names before she could wager which one he would prefer her to use most. It was like neither of them fit him anymore like he wasn’t either of them but something else. 

“As long as you’re happy,” his voice was soft. “Then I am happy.” 


	10. Wonderland

WONDERLAND

Lila found herself looking at the monitors as they flickered and dimmed to life as he worked and checked different areas for their progress. She couldn’t keep up with him in the slightest, despite the fact that he had told her to listen, watch, and to learn as much as she possibly could so that she could be useful to him in the long run. 

Mint Eye as he called this group, was a strange wonderland that didn’t align with the story that he had told her. 

She hadn’t seen much of it since she had first arrived as Unknown had kept her secluded to his room. The only thing she had seen was repeating hallways and doors that seemingly lead into rooms that looked the same as the last room that you had entered.

It was like a long labyrinth that was designed to trick you. 

It was utter madness, and nothing she did made sense of the right or the left, or the up and the down, it just kept blurring into itself. Frustrating as it was, she was doing the best that she could given what the circumstance was. Unknown kept her on a tight leash and her only freedoms were the moments in which he left her to take a shower or make something to eat. 

You take what you can get, she would tell herself without kicking her side. She was the one who had trusted a stranger and he was the one that lured her in with the hook of a daydream where nothing is ever going to harm anyone. 

Well, today she felt a bit lost. No matter where she turned, it felt like she just kept finding herself right where she started. She imagined that this place would be her final resting place if she couldn’t learn how to navigate the most taken routes on her own without Unknown pushing her where to go when he wanted. 

She sucked in a breath, taking a right this time only to bump into the man that prayed she wouldn’t find. Unknown caught her by the wrist and she knew that he was angry, it was just the storm in his eyes that gave it away. Something, or rather, someone had pissed him off and he was looking to go and ruin something to make himself feel better. 

She bit her lower lip, trying to make herself feel smaller than she already was. “Is something the matter, boss?” 

His gaze didn’t lighten. Though, he did yank her forward with a firm tug so that she was entrapped in his arms. “Stop getting distracted in your daydreams,” he hissed. “It takes time out of my day to come and find you every time you’ve gotten yourself lost into a world of your own. Don’t you understand? This is my world, not yours.” 

Lila didn’t respond at first. She merely clutched at the back of his jacket. It seemed as though he wasn’t just angry, there was something else in his words, just craving more that he would never admit out loud unless they were alone and it was late, the hum of exhaustion blurring the line between anger and true vulnerability. 

“Sorry,” she whispered. “Next time I get lost, I’ll make sure that you’re with me.” 


	11. Witch

  
WITCH

She extended her open palm to the unsuspecting damsel. The young woman stared at the hand from the witch and hesitated as if she was wondering if it was a good idea to get close to this witch at all or perhaps she was wondering how she wound up so deeply in the dark trenches that a witch found her in the first place. 

“Come now,” the witch urged once more. “You can trust me. I want to help you find your way as you’ve lost it. I know the way back to salvation.” 

Lila stared at that hand as if it were going to burn her if she trusted it. Her trembling hands remained at her sides, but that was alright, the witch thought. There was no one to come and rescue her in this dark place and the only one she would find would be the magician herself. It was only a matter of time until she realized that. 

“I will bring you no harm,” the witch said, her enchanting smile overwhelming her features. “I swear it in my heart. You’ll be pressed to find anyone here that may understand you more than I. Take a chance if you want to be free, dear.” 

Lila knew the witch was right. She had been trapped in this place for such a long time and the only person she had encountered in so long was a witch seemingly willing to help her escape from this deep prison of briar and thorns. She raised her hand, the shaking digit tentatively reaching forward to brush against the hand of the witch. 

“Yes, that’s right,” the witch never once lost her enchanting smile, nor did her blonde curls lose their luster in this place. She was like a living embodiment of the sun shining in this cursed place in which no one had ever returned from. This woman was the only offer left, the only hope, and the only life left to save such a poor thing. 

The minute that Lila’s hand brushed against the witch’s hand, a call came from behind them, and a boy with hair as white and as faded as the moon appeared from the darkness and cried out for her to stop before it was too late. The witch delightfully knew that it was already too late for the boy to take this maiden from her now. 

Lila whipped her head around to meet those eyes of his that had drawn her in, surprised to see him in this dark place.

“Ray—” she cried, voice betraying her as the witch began to laugh, a deep and wicked cackle. 

“It’s too late,” the witch gripped her hand tighter and urged down to come deeper into the darkness pooling around them all. “I’ll be taking this one, think of it as the payment for your freedom, my dear Ray.” 


	12. Doll

DOLL 

Her breath hitched in her throat. Chest sharply sitting right where it was as she looked down at the mess she had made. Mistakes. Mistakes weren't supposed to be made. She wasn't at all supposed to screw up. He had made such an effort to ensure that she wouldn't have such issues anymore, but so much for that—

Lila snapped to attention, out of her dread and overwhelming thoughts as they came to mind, hurriedly sinking down to her knees to gather the pieces of glass before... before, what exactly? 

Ray had never shown her any bit of anything apart from kindness, and sympathy. 

He had been the one that saved her from herself. She knew better than to think for a moment that he would... do something like that. The breath that she had been holding in spilled out and threatened to bring tears with it. She had always been an emotional thing, but she didn't want to be a hindrance. 

That wasn't good. 

This wasn't good. 

She wasn't good. 

She was so caught up in trying to fix everything, everything everything, fix everything, that she didn't even realize that Ray had stopped what he was doing to check on her. His hand caught her wrist and had to hold back a dangerous flinch. She gasped in spite of herself and looked up to meet his piercing green eyes. 

Her breath was shallow. "I—I'm sorry," she managed, though it was almost impossible "I'll take care of it." 

That didn't seem to be the answer that Ray wanted. He clicked his tongue, chiding her for doing such things.

"What am I going to do with you, huh?" he spoke as if speaking to a small child that didn't know any better. "I've told you this before, you shouldn't lift a finger here. I had thought that maybe it would be alright to let you move around some, but if you can't even hold a glass..."

His sigh was heavy on her ears. 

"You shouldn't leave my side," he said, so simply and matter-of-factly. "You can't leave my side. What if you got hurt? I won't let that happen. I brought you here so I could protect you from the outside world, so I could keep you happy... I told you a hundred times. I'm taking care of everything. All you have to do is stay by my side. Why do you keep straying from my sight?"

He spoke up once again before she could even open her mouth. His displeasure was visible, and distress wasn't long behind it.

"Don't tell me they've gotten to you again, princess. I made sure that they wouldn’t… couldn't... no... no... what if he got past it? No, you would never listen to him. No, you shouldn't.. you wouldn't..." he trailed, words spilling into a dangerous thought. 

He was thinking about the RFA, about the people that he hated and the people that he swore were going to destroy her if she listened to a word that they said. Ray had taken them away after he felt like things were going so wrong and he wouldn’t let them get the chance to infect her ever again. She wasn’t suited to being the tester. 

She was better off his doll. 

His precious plaything that didn’t have to do anything but keep smiling on for him and let him take care of her. She was a little clumsy… fool-hearty, but assuredly, she was his and he had given her just a bit too much then she could handle again. He wouldn’t let her get hurt, nor would he let them ever get her again. 

Ray's grip on her wrist tightened. "I see how it is. I can't let you out of my sight at all anymore. I won't let them, have you. You're mine and only mine. I won't let them hurt you... no, no. I don't want to hurt you either, but... if you've started to doubt me, I... I don't know... I'll do what I have to do. You know that I only want to make you happy. Right? Right?"

"Ray, please," she struggled to find the voice of her voice, looking down at where his grip had gotten stronger. "That hurts." 

He seemingly paid no mind to that. She didn't answer his question, and that only fueled the fire and dread inside of him. So, he was going to have to take care of this, wasn't he? He hated to be cruel... needlessly... but if it had to happen?

So be it.


	13. Trauma

  
TRAUMA 

His breath caught in his throat as he suddenly sat upright, his body heaving and lungs aching from having hyperventilated in his sleep. He looked around the room with blurry eyes with a sense of not only dread but confusion because this wasn’t his workroom, there were no computers, there were no screens, there were no locks on the door, and there was a bed underneath him rather than a chair as his face pressed into a desk. 

There was a window and moonlight poured in from the outside. Saeran breathed in deeply and then tried to focus on the fact that he was coming out of a nightmare. This wasn’t Magenta, Mint Eye was long behind him, and he was not trapped anymore. His heart thudded against his ribs as he pressed a hand to the skin. 

He had overheated, as well. 

Saeran didn’t have to raise his hand to his face to know that he had been crying again. 

He hadn’t screamed this time, which was an improvement compared to the nights before when he was haunted by these memories. He exhaled deeply, shutting his eyes and trying to recall all of the changes in his life that led him to this moment rather than being trapped in that nightmare. That was when he felt the weight of something against his leg. 

Saeran looked down and noted that it was a hand. He followed the slender hand until he found the person it belonged to, breathing deeply as he remembered that he wasn’t alone. With a shaking digit, he intertwined her fingers with his. Fortunately, he hadn’t awoken Lila with his nightmare this time and she was still resting peacefully. 

She had been there for him, no matter how scared he got, no matter how frantic he got, no matter how angry he got, and no matter how much he became a monster to protect himself. She had been there for both Ray and Saeran and she was still there for him now, even though he was someone entirely knew made from the sum of those parts. 

Not quite Ray, not quite Saeran, but someone else and yet, still them all the same. Even in her sleep, her hand squeezed his back when he applied the smallest amount of pressure. It was the most that he could do to ground himself at that moment. He didn’t want to wake her up and bother her with his flashbacks. 

“...” 

He doubted that he was going to be able to get back to sleep at this rate, and the clock said that it was barely three in the morning. He sucked in a breath as his heart started to calm itself, falling back against the mattress. He may be free from that place but it didn’t meant that he was free from the monsters that haunted him. 

A squeeze at his hand against broke him from his thoughts. “Mmm, Saeran…?” 

“Did I wake you?” he muttered. 

The telltale sign was given away when she wrapped her free hand against his chest. She breathed deeply, her chest rising and falling in the same motion as ever. He tried not to move but when he didn’t hear her voice again, he knew that she had merely been talking in her sleep again. She curled into his side and the added pressure helped make him feel real again. 

Huh, he couldn’t stop himself from chuckling. It was weak, but it was something in the right direction for him. Even in her sleep, she was always reaching out to him without knowing what her words and actions did to him. Even if his trauma was going to haunt him, she was always going to there to chase the nightmares away. 


	14. Ghost

GHOST

It was a lingering memory in the back of his mind that was doused in the fire that he would forever bathe in. It was his fault, and he accepted that guilt as he accepted everything that had happened to him in his life. His hands would always be stained the color red for the one that he had harmed and he knew no amount of forgiveness would be able to set things right. 

Saeran had no regrets in his life, except for him. It hadn’t been until he was able to get away from Rika and away from her control that he realized just how much of his life she had controlled and just how much she had consumed him into his hatred. However, he had been the one to pull that trigger and no amount of saying it was someone else’s fault would take that away. 

No matter how much he scrubbed at his hands, no matter how much he tried to wash away the blood, and no matter how many times he tried to not see a killer in the mirror, he would always see one. He was the one to end V’s life and only by his hands had the wounds been cemented. One shot, that was all it took. 

His anger had wanted that once, and yet, now that he had it, he hated it, and he regretted ever thinking that it would solve the pain in his life. No matter how much he was trying to avoid the thought, that man would always pop into his mind and thoughts at some point during the day and he would only hope that he wouldn’t be alone when it happened. 

Because, the haunting image of a man with mint hair was always lingering in the corner of his eyes. He did not know if the ghost was angry with him or not, but he knew that the haunting was happening as a punishment for his sins. Even as he tried to continue moving forward with his life, the ghost was there to remind him of how little he had progressed. 

“Saeran?” a voice came from his side, and he looked to see that she was looking at him with a curious glint in her eyes. She seemed relieved when he moved, possibly because she wanted to see if he was in a fit of dissociation or not. “Are you alright? You’ve been staring at that spot for a while now.” 

Saeran met the gaze of the ghost and turned away, knowing that the spectator would not reveal to him what he felt or what he wanted. Just another day, just another moment to distract himself from this issue for another second longer. He shook his head. “I’m alright, nothing to worry about. Did you need something?” 

“Ah, well, I was wondering if you’d like to help me make dinner.” 

“I can.” 

The mint eyes that lingered on Saeran were somber, sad even. That was the most glaring fact of all and nothing Saeran did would stop it. He almost wanted to believe that the ghost was angry, the look of pity and sadness was far worse. 


	15. Galaxy

GALAXY

The sky was neverending and spoke to him like nothing else. When he felt like he was the only one in the universe, he would look up at the sky and let his worries cease. He wasn’t alone, nobody ever truly was because the sun was there, the stars were there, the planets were there, and there was an entire vast galaxy of things that existed out there! 

You couldn’t feel lonely when you thought about how big the world was and how much bigger it could be. 

Saeyoung was so happy when he thought about that. 

Now, he wasn’t alone at all, not really. He had his brother back and not only that, he had gained an entire family over the past couple of years. 

However, there were still moments where he found himself going outside to sit underneath the stars to reflect on his feelings and how happy he was. To think that a year ago, he had been alone, but now his house was bustling and he had more family than he could count on a single hand. 

Did he deserve that, though? 

After all, he had been the one to simply isolate himself in the first place from the rest of humanity and the stars had been his only company. Sighing, he laid back against the grass and searched for the familiar shapes and lines that built constellations.

Things had changed so much in a short amount of time and it was hard to believe. He was never no longer bound by the oppressive chains of the agency. Now, he could do whatever he wanted, and the opportunity handed to him was nothing that he took lightly. Sure there were limits to it but did that matter in the long run? This was more than he had ever had, more than Saeran had ever had, and he would do everything he could to ensure that this happiness existed forever. 

As vast as the stars in this galaxy, so would their aspirations and hopes be. 

“Are you going to stay out here all night in the cold?” He lifted his head back to see Lila staring at him from the doorway with a sweater wrapped over her shoulders. “Shouldn’t you be inside with those two at this hour?”

“I should,” Saeyoung said. He looked back up at the stars. “But, I couldn’t sleep. It’s that time of year where I get restless. I didn’t want to bother them. I can ask the same thing of you, princess. Why aren’t you with Saeran right now?”

Silence, then a sigh. 

“Nightmares,” she admitted. 

“...About that place?” he didn’t dare say the name. He knew that neither she nor Saeran wanted to be reminded of what happened at Mint Eye. They had suffered enough and he refused to hurt either one of them again. 

“You could say that,” she said.

Lila took a stop nearby on the ground, another sigh leaving her mouth. She seemed to be plagued by the memories just as much as he was. Still, the good news to this suffering was that they didn’t have to deal with this alone. Nobody did. They had all each other, in this crazy mixed-up family that came together for no reason. 

“I like to watch the stars,” he said. He could see where the lingering galaxy gave way to a blinding reflection of light from the moon. “You know, there may be millions of them, but they all illuminate the sky, showing us that we’re never alone… I’d like to think that we’re never alone, either, so if that may comfort you, I’m happy to share it.” 

“...Has Saeran ever told you that you’re a sap?”

He chuckled, “A few times.”


	16. Baking

BAKING

“Do I put it here?” 

“Mmm, how about here?” 

Minji corrected Lila’s hand and urged her to add a little more of this and a little less of that. The girl wasn’t bad, she knew how to follow instructions but it was becoming increasingly clear that Lila was only great at making tea and everything else was kind of a fluke that she got lucky with. That wasn’t a bad thing, it wasn’t like anyone expected her to make food every single day. 

She had just offered to help Minji with her next order, and Minji didn’t turn her down. She was happy to see that the girl was coming out of her shell and working on herself. After she and Saeran had been removed from Mint Eye, it had taken quite some time to urge them to take a few steps forward. He was having a harder time than she was, but her issue was often… 

Silence. 

Saeran would lash out often and let them know his discomfort. Lila would bite her tongue and hide it until she broke down and sobbed. So, the fact that she had come out to ask someone if she could join them for any moment? Yeah, that was a huge step in the right direction. She masked a lot so Saeyoung was trying to get her to open up.

It was… awkward with him because he looked so much as Saeran and she kept thinking she was doing something wrong by talking to him. So, if it was easier to talk to Minji, or to Judas, then that's fine by her! Besides, she appreciated the help. Since she and Jaehee had started working together as of late, it meant that a lot of her orders had grown. They were still looking for help to hire but no such luck quite yet, so any hands on deck were appreciated. 

Lila pursed her lips, rubbing her hand against her cheek. It left a bit of flour on her face. That made Minji laugh. 

“What? Why are you laughing?” she asked. 

Minji pointed at her cheek, “You’ve got a bit of flour right there. No, a little to your right. There we go, you got it! Don’t worry. I’m usually a mess when I leave the kitchen. If you don’t get dirty then you’re not doing it right.” 

Lila's face felt hot in embarrassment. 


	17. Childhood

CHILDHOOD

In front of the young girl lay a picture, her lips pursed as she tried to remember the details from the dream that she had. She couldn’t decide if the man in her mind had white hair or red hair, she kept flickering her wrist between the two. Her dreams were always hard to remember but she felt like she had to draw it. 

Maybe, the man in her dreams was someone important? 

“ _Lila_.” 

She looked down at the ground, dropping the crayon in her hand as if she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. The young girl didn’t dare lift her head to meet her mother’s gaze as she knew that she was in trouble and it was better to wait for her mom to say what she wanted to say first before she did anything. 

She was only eight years old but she knew that she couldn’t dare talk back to her mom unless she wanted worse things to happen.

Lucy wasn’t there. 

Her big sister was only a few years older than she was, so that meant that she was still at school while Lila waited the hour or two extra it took after she got off the bus. She stayed outside as long as she was allowed to ensure that she wasn’t alone with her mom. Her mom could be very overbearing and the second that she came in, she would have to start doing chores. 

Lila didn’t like doing all the chores by herself, Lucy would join when she got home, but that left a lot of time for their mom to correct and scold her time and time again because she couldn’t do something right. Was it so bad that she wanted to draw and color instead of folding clothes over and over again? She didn’t think so. 

“Yes, mommy?” Lila answered, quietly. 

“How long have you been home?” was the immediate question. 

Her heart quickened, “Five… Five minutes.” 

“And why,” her mother tapped her foot against the concrete path that led up to their house. “Are you sitting outside when you know that you’re to come straight to the house once you get off the bus? You know we can’t do these chores alone. Your father expects the house to be clean, and you should keep it clean. If you want to learn how to please your husband in the future, you’ve got to listen.” 

Lila had visions in her mind of someone that saw her and didn’t ask her to do everything in the house at all, no, demand. She didn’t want to feel like a servant. She closed her eyes and imagined often a kind person who held out their hand to her and offered to do everything with her instead. 

Alongside the idea that she could be a princess if she wanted, of course. 

“Sorry, mommy,” Lila said.

Her mother took a hold of Lila’s wrist and pulled her in the direction of the house, scolding her for being caught in her imagination and avoiding her chores. 

Yet, Lila tuned out the mean words as much as she could as she thought about the visions lingering in her back of her head with a boy who outstretched his hand to her with a smile. She had long stayed in a world of her own, drawing and picturing this person that she hoped to know someday. 

She didn’t know why but mint eyes were calling her name. 


	18. Injuries

INJURIES 

“Ouch,” she cursed as the pain ripped through her fingertips. That’s what she got for trying to organize everything in this bunker. Who knew Seven had an extensive collection of books? Of course, opening a few of them let her know that he was using them as hiding spots for different items and well, the good news was the worst she got was a papercut. “Ouch!” 

Saeran glanced over from his spot on the other side of the room. Concern lined his features but she immediately shook her head to turn those nerves down. They may have only been staying here for the time being but it needed some sprucing up. That’s what they were doing. 

Making the space look less like a punishment and more like a home, as well as they could, not taking away from Saeyoung’s style but still enforcing that it was a shared space. It was made like a prison but it would be more than that because the boys were free to live now. They would figure out what to do next when they found him.

“Are you okay?” he asked. 

“Papercut,” Lila smiled, a bit sheepishly. “No big deal. My curiosity got to me. You know, your brother is hiding secret plans in his books. These things are hollowed out with different flash drives and what I can only assume are blueprints to Jumin’s penthouse.” 

They were both quiet at that, knowing that Saeyoung was a heathen when it came to cats. It was humorous to some degree but mildly concerning in the way that he cared for his friends and tried to help them by covering it up with pranks. He was testing security and reminding people to be on their guard no matter what. 

Also, he just liked Elizabeth’s squishy paws. 

Saeran could still be tense at times. He often fretted over the little things because there was only so much for him to do. He wasn’t used to freedom, and he wasn’t used to being able to do whatever he pleased. He let out a sigh and crossed the room to grasp her hand in his own. He inspected the gash and pursed his lips. 

“You got yourself pretty good,” he hummed, watching the way her cheeks flared up the softest shade of pink. “Let me take care of that.” 

“Oh, it’s no big deal, Saeran, I can—”

“Nonsense,” he shook his head. “Let me fret over you now and again, okay? You already do a lot for me, let me return the favor now and again.” 

She really had no say in that one. She merely smiled and nodded, “Alright, you got me. I’ll let you play nurse if that’s what you want to do. But, you should know that only a kiss is going to make it better for me.” 

“Oh, really?” there was a playful look that flashed through his mint eyes. He lifted his hand to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to her open palm. “How’s that?” 

Her red face told him enough. 


	19. Mask

MASK

“Are you going to keep hiding behind that mask of yours or are you going to be honest with yourself and say that you love her, darling?” 

“...” 

“Giving me the silent treatment isn’t going to do you much good, either. You and I both already know how you feel about her and you biting it down because you think you’re going to put her in danger is never a good look on anyone. You think you’re protecting her but really, you’re only hurting her and yourself.”

“What would you know? You sell your body to get secrets, Judas, and you’ve been running from the man you gave your heart to from day one. You more than anyone should know that if you let yourself love someone, you’re opening yourself up to get hurt. Except, it’s not just me that could hurt her, and do you really want to see Minji harmed because of me? They would use her as a pawn and get rid of her.” 

“Don’t fool yourself,” Judas stared at him with hardened blue eyes. “If you really were scared of what would happen to her, then you wouldn’t have ever spoken to her more than you had to. Don’t pull that card with me, darling. I sold my soul to that devil because I loved him, my only mistake was that I loved the wrong person. Minji? She doesn’t love the wrong person. She loves you, and I know you would protect her with your life. So, why are you running?” 

Seven’s chest rose and fell as the tension in the room grew. His tense shoulders only grew tighter and he grit his teeth to try and ignore the burn inside of him. Judas knew that Seven was trying to run away from what he loved, he failed his brother in his eyes and he refused to fail anyone ever again and that was why he was trying to hurt them now before they got killed instead. It was rather dumb of him, in Judas’ opinion. 

Even now, he was trying to bite into Judas to get him to leave, too. 

He wasn’t going to do that. 

Judas stood up and walked across the room until he was gazing up into Seven’s eyes with a heated fever to them. “I think you’re scared of getting hurt,” he said. “I think you’re scared that you may fail her as you think you failed your brother. I think you’re trying to run away from your problems as if leaving fixes anything. You’re drowning in your own despair, and for what? If you let yourself be honest and true to your feelings, you’ll be happy.” 

Seven wasted no time pushing Judas away, his fists digging into the wall on either side of Judas’ head, golden eyes trained on blue ones. He looked angry, but he was angry because someone had seen his true self and he couldn’t hide the mask as much as he was desperately trying to keep it on his face. 

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he hissed. “You’re nothing but a cheap whore who ran away from his own problems to save his own ass.” 

It stung, but Judas didn’t let it hurt him. 

“I am,” Judas said, confidently. He stared back at him. “And you know what? I’m okay with that. I made my choices, and I don’t regret them. _Can you say that_?” 

The silence was deafening. 


	20. Ice Cream

ICE CREAM

“What’s the occasion?” 

“I can’t offer to share my ice cream with you without having a reason?”

“Saeran, that’s the only thing you’re greedy about.” 

“Mmm.” 

Saeran promptly hushed her teasing by nudging the spoon into her opening mouth. She sputtered but took the gift nonetheless, licking the cream from her lips when he pulled back. Normally, she might’ve blushed about the indirect kiss, but not so much this time around. She was giving him one of the rare and playful looks he knew she was capable of. 

Puffing out her cheeks, she looked away from him. 

Lila instead turned her focus back to the stars up above them. They were resting on the steps outside of the bunker, watching the moon as it became covered and uncovered by the clouds. It was a late night at best, staying in touch with Jumin and the intelligence team until the morning hours. Things were just starting to come together. 

Saeran could work from the bunker, to spare him the media flocking. He didn’t mind going out now and again, but he would admit that it was… suffocating to have this much freedom. He liked that he could leave and do as he pleased, but there were just so many people… not that people bothered him, it was just more the notion that he was…

Anxious about not being all there socially. 

It didn’t seem so bad with the RFA, but he really only felt at ease when Lila was there. She always held his hand and reassured him that he was doing his best. He needed that, and he was happy that she had been able to come out of her own shell. 

She didn’t have to be wearing her favorite things to feel her voice get stronger anymore. 

She just was. 

He admired that. 

She was still there by him when he was working, reminding him to take breaks and stealing him from the computer by casually saying, “Sorry, Jumin, I’m taking my boyfriend, he hasn’t had dinner yet so he’ll get back to you in an hour!” or something along those lines. Most of the time, she just added in her own input on what she thought, and they both discussed these theories with Jumin and Jaehee. 

Now would be no different, he left his work and followed the sound of the music playing from her phone to see her sitting outside, his jacket strewn over her shoulders with her feet dangling over the edge of the steps. She would never know it, but she looked really good in the moonlight, so good that he wished no one else would ever know it. 

“I promised Saeyoung that… I mean, we made a promise when we were young,” he looked down at the treat in his hands. “That one day we would be free to watch the sky and have as much ice cream as we wanted. I want to keep that promise, Lila… so, while I can’t do that with him just yet, I hope it’s okay that I share it with you.” 

He felt her hand brush against his thigh. “Of course,” he could hear the smile on her face. “I appreciate that you would want to share something that special with me, too.”

Saeran couldn’t imagine a life without her in it, and he hoped… no, he wanted to think that maybe it would be the same when he saw his brother again. He wanted to be a family again. He wanted things to be okay. It felt like it would be. He just needed to believe as much as she did. 


	21. Dance

  
DANCE

Her laughter was like music to his ears and he was desperate to hold onto this fleeting moment as long as he could. Childish laughter that seemed to be utterly amused by the liberating freedom that came from being outside that one could only know after they were bound to the walls inside for a long period of time with the world taunting them. 

A twirl of her body lifted her skirt just enough that he caught a glimpse of her thighs and he adverted his eyes, lifting his head so that he would be looking at her eyes, and the brown curls that framed her face just right. 

There may come a time when it was all he had to recall in the darkroom that he was bound to, where no light would ever come except for the artificial blue light of his monitor. Even being outside in this moonlight was bright for his eyes, but he ignored the strain and he watched as she enjoyed herself. 

If the only way Ray could make her smile this brightly was to bring her to the garden whenever he got the chance? He would work until his fingers bled if he could ensure her smile would return. It wasn’t easy for her to adjust the way that paradise was, but she had been humoring all his questions and asks without a single complaint. 

Ray could have watched her forever, bathed in the moonlight with a smile on her face. Could he have fallen more in love with someone than he already was, or was it that his heart just started to beat faster upon the realization that the smile was for him? 

She wouldn’t let him watch the scene forever from afar, however, because she wanted him at the moment with herself... and, he could never deny such a small request that she’d offer him. Her outstretched hand beckoned him forward as he looked between the space that separated them. Only a few feet, but it felt like a mile as he took his time to her side. 

Would Lila ever know that she seemed like a princess of the evergreen expanse that ruled his heart? 

“Ray,” she said, that smile on her lips as she playfully curtsied. “I don’t suppose you’d mind if I asked you to join me?” 

He lifted a hand to gesture to himself to clarify and ensure that she was talking about him. She merely nodded at him and her hand remained tantamount in the space in front of herself. Ray did not hesitate tonight, for he didn’t know when he would have time to see her again and he would bite back his insecurities to see her smile. 

Taking her hand in his gloved one, he let out a gasp as she nudged him even closer as their chests bumped. She laughed at his blush, but not to mock him, only to urge her other hand around his waist. His throat felt incredibly dry at that moment, “Ah... not to disappoint you, but I’m afraid I don’t know how to—”

“That’s alright, Ray,” she shook her head. “It’s easy. You just have to follow my steps, okay? Humor me that much. I’ll pay you back for it later, of course, I’ll have to go and figure out how, but... let’s just say I’ll owe you one for now. You can make good on that offer any time.”

Reluctance was in the air, but that hopeful gleam in her eyes stole his heart tenfold. But, Ray listened to her words, tense fingers intertwined with her own as she quietly told him what to do and where to move and how to do it. This was the closest that they had ever been and if it weren’t for the security of the many layers he wore, he might have felt her bare skin on his. 

Fortunately for him, she was often modest as can be, and his lingering gaze was far too uncertain to dip lower than her eyes. He wanted her eyes on him as long as possible. As long as she was looking at him, he was convinced that he could do anything for her.

It was easy to get caught up in the moment, following her every step even though he felt like a clumsy baby deer trying to learn how to walk on two legs in comparison to her skill. Her eyes never left his for a moment and he could feel his breath hitch when she tore her gaze away and rested her head against his chest. 

An unfamiliar melody hummed underneath her breath. It felt like he could lose himself in this winding dance of hers. He wanted to drown in it right there and there. But, his heart was keeping him from simply letting himself melt. 

How could a moment be made to last forever?

“Your heart,” he heard her whisper softly and couldn’t bring himself to respond to it. “Is it always beating this fast, Ray? It hasn’t stopped since I touched you. You know, my heart always races when you’re this close to me, too. I can’t help but imagine what would feel like to always be this close. It’s selfish of me, and I know you’re working hard but I...” 

His stomach felt like butterflies flying free from a prison of glass in which they had been contained. 

“I... I can’t help but to want you, Ray,” she finished her thought, head rising just enough for his eyes to meet the doe brown ones. The hand he was holding was slowly pulled toward her chest where she rested it against her heart, and it went thump, thump, thump. 

“I have to ask you, I’m sorry, do... you want me as much as I want you?”

A strangled gasp escaped Ray’s lips. Without thinking, he tripped over his own foot and fell forward, barely managing to catch himself as her back hit the cool grass and his hands kept their faces from meeting. However, he could still feel the ghost of her breath against his cheek. 

“...!” 

The silence outside apart from the hum of crickets was all that remained in the air as they gazed deeply at one another, a silence but unsure answer ahead of them. 


	22. Judgement

  
JUDGE 

Her breath caught in her throat as he stared down at her, that wild look in his eyes much like a caged animal that had finally jumped the fence to chase down his prey. 

His hand gripping tight to her waist as the only thing that kept her from falling to the hard floor to a clatter; Saeran held within his hands the key to what he called salvation and protection, and to what she knew was endless darkness that simply smothered all those inside of him. 

When he demanded she take his hand, Lila hesitated.

That hesitation was enough to make him hiss, and repeat his command louder before she could open her mouth to say anything in response. She had no choice but to listen to him. She took his hand and he relished in that submission to his desires. It was everything that he wanted and every time he got that, he only wanted more and more. 

Greedy for everything that made up this girl and greedy to destroy all of it beyond recognition once he had proved to Ray that she could be broken into pieces, that she wasn’t some saint come to rescue him, **to rescue them.**

Saeran didn’t need saving. 

He could take care of himself. 

Warping her memories and making her focus on him, he would ensnare those eyes of hers and make her see him. She wouldn’t look at him with those pitiful eyes, no, he would make those eyes become fraught with fear and everything else he wanted. Lila could hardly keep him with him, and he made a point to make that a fact. 

No matter how many times she nearly tripped over her feet, no matter how many times she stumbled, and no matter how many times she protested, she kept going. Perhaps, to spite him, or perhaps to say to him that she couldn’t be broken the way that he wanted. Saeran was offended that the princess had the audacity to push her luck. Yet, he let her do it. 

If she wanted to toy with him, then he would let her push her limits until she cried and realized her mistakes. 

Saeran would dare say there was something feverous in those eyes of hers as she gazed up at him, and as her hand gripped tightly to his shoulder. “You think you can handle it, don’t you?” he sneered, all too pleased by her attempt to be brave when they both knew she was not. It had all been a fluke from the start and he knew it. 

“I don’t know what you mean,” she whispered underneath her breath, though her leg dangerously brushed a bit too deeply into his personal space, just as quickly as she stepped back, and as just as quickly as it took him to reclaim that space. 

“Oh,” he countered. “But you do, you know exactly what you’re doing. You always have, and if you dare tell me a lie, I’ll make you pay for it. You think you’re cute by playing innocent all the time, that I haven’t noticed your attempts to deceive that airhead, and me. All you have are pretty words, princess, and what are those words to someone that doesn’t believe you?” 

Her gaze remained on him no matter how much her head spun as he commanded the twirl of her body on his own. “Everything,” she responded. “It doesn’t matter whether you believe me or not. I’ve never lied to you, and I’ve never lied to Ray. The only person who lied to you is that woman—”

His grip on her wrist tightened, and she held back a wince that had started to brew from the sudden and hard pressure. Leaning forward so that she would know no reprieve from his presence as he lured her in, he chuckled, deeply. “I’m afraid that’s where you’re mistaken. She’s never lied to me, she’s only shown me my true potential. Something you’ll never understand, toy. All you know is sunshine, hope, and precious fairytales.”

Saeran smirked as she barely kept herself upright. “You think you can deceive me? Do you think you can take me down the same way that you did to that airhead? Do you think that I’m going to let you destroy me because you crave me? Hahaha… look at that depraved look in your eyes. That’s it, isn’t it? Why you didn’t stop me, why you pulled me in closer, why your heart hasn’t stopped racing since the moment I touched you.”

Lila gasped. Her eyes had widened impossibly so but there was no escape from Saeran, no escape from the way his forehead pressed against her own, nor the way he pinned her to him. That was what he had wanted, his lips couldn’t have gone any wider at that moment. 

He laughed in her face, laughed at the way she *shivered*, and *trembled.*

“What was it that you told him? Oh, I remember now,” he paused, only to see her advert her eyes from him as if ashamed of herself. “Do you want me as much as I want you, Ray? What a twisted thing you are, huh, our little princess fancies herself in her fantasies. Well, guess what…” 

Saeran let go of her wrist only to grip her face to force her to look back at him, there was no escape from him and she would look at him, she would if he demanded it. She wasn’t allowed to look away from him if he demanded it. She had no say anymore, and he was the one that controlled where it was going to go. 

She was trembling now, like a frightened kitten. Yet, she never protested. It was proved his point. His judgment in her actions was only proof of everything that he had been told. 

“Look at your face,” he chuckled. “You sincerely thought that I was going to give you this… what you wanted, didn’t you? Pathetic. You’re shivering but not in fear, I would say I’m surprised but I’m not, you’re always surprising me with how stupid you are. Go on, if you want it so badly, beg. Beg for what you want.” 

There was no response. 

He waited just to see what she would do. He was surprised, however, when she leaned forward and caught his lips in a kiss, so much so that he didn’t realize what was happening until he had started to *reciprocate* the action. Damned by his own actions, he shoved the toy away from him and watched as she stumbled back against the wall. 

Her chest heaving, and eyes wide, nowhere to go but this room that she was trapped in by his own choice and design. 

“You…” he spat, the rage souring everything that he had created to feel like he had control again. “I’m going to enjoy destroying every last trace of you until you’re nothing but a hollow doll for my amusement! You think you’re special? You think you deserve this?!” 

She most certainly did not. 


	23. Garden

GARDEN

It was the same as every single day. 

Pattern after pattern, around and around until the end of time and his hands felt like they were going to bend and break, bleeding from overuse. There was no reprieve to this endless song and dance that his life had become since the day he met his Savior and protector all those years ago when she took him from his curse and gave him a new purpose in life. 

Yet, why was it that this task and fate given to him had begun to feel more like a chore than a blessing as she promised it to be? His eyes, weary and tired, his shoulders, tense and tightened, his body, aching and crying for a break that would never come because he never allowed himself to stop thinking of the job at hand. 

That didn’t stop Ray from shutting his eyes in the moments that his tests ran through and the system needed to cool from his task. Images of sprawling hills and flowers as far as the eye could see blanked his vision in the darkness and became an oversaturated daydream that his fingers could never quite clutch onto hard enough to hold close. 

In this dark and damp workroom, he could only imagine what it would truly feel like to be outside someplace like that. He hadn’t felt the sun on his skin in such a long time and it had become a faint memory of his. The moonlight often greeted him when he left the room for any kind of reprieve and while it had the power to reflect the glow from the sun, it wasn’t the sun. 

Its light was safer to stare at.

But, it didn’t give him the feeling of life that the sun did.

At least, it didn’t until recently. 

The late-night glow had become a part of his life so much that he had been blanketed by its grace. It defined him, and he knew that it did because the person that he was working so hard for had a smile on her face every time he extended his hand to take her out to see the moonlight in the garden. It was him that longed for the moon now. 

If only because the moon encapsulated the world that existed around the two of them in his garden. It was this faint glow that covered the earth in just the faintest hum to let them see the peaceful world at rest. Nobody existed when he was underneath that moon with Lila. The sun may have meant life and warmth, but the moon meant to love and desire. 

Ray could imagine it now, as the light in his daydream shifted from the sunlight to the moonlight. Her face illuminated by the grace of the moon. Her hand reaching out toward him as she spun around in front of him and laughed. Her light shining onto him like the sun and the moon put together into one person, all in the garden that he cherished so very much.

His computer would wake him from the fantasy before he could ever reach her hand. 

As it was meant to be, Ray supposed. He could never truly be as free she was. He should just be glad that he could be this close. 


	24. Crossover

CROSSOVER

“Thanks for humoring me today, Saeran,” Lila beamed at him with a smile. She was dressed to the nines today in her coordinate. She went with a sweets theme this time around, and one could dare say her skirt was bordering the curve of her skirt was copying a cupcake. She adjusted the ribbon on her headpiece and felt much more at ease with herself. 

This Lolita had missed being able to go out to meetings and other conventions. But, there was a reason for that and she wasn’t upset about it. Saeran and Saeyoung were more important and now that his twin was safe and their father had been taken down, they had nothing to worry about, no targets on their backs, and just the future ahead. 

Saeran was still trying to learn how to handle having so much freedom. It could be too much at times, but he was putting up a brave face and showing progress every single day. She was surprised that he had offered to come with her because he didn’t often come with her to meet-ups, but this time he seemed happy to go. 

“Well, it’s your passion,” he answered, with a shrug. “I know how much work you put into these looks and how much it means to you. The least I can do is tag along so you’re not alone.” 

“Normally, Judas would come or even Saeyoung, but those two are helping out Minji and Jaehee with the cafe deliveries today,” Lila offered him her hand and he took it. “But, I’m glad you could come with me today. I know some of my friends can be a little trying at times but you did really well. I’m so proud of you for setting out of your comfort zone.” 

“As long as I’m with you, I don’t feel nervous.” 

“Saeran, you’re a man after my heart. I know it’s because I offered you ice cream afterward too.” 

“That… doesn’t hurt, my angel.” 

She laughed a bit and settled into a comfortable silence. The two of them continued their walk through the garden together and just enjoyed one another’s company. It did feel alright when they were like this like nothing could ever go wrong, and like the world was meant for the two of them. Lila paused for a moment, seeing a head of a purple tuft up ahead. 

She pursed her lips as if trying to trace why that was so familiar, then, it hit her why she felt like she knew who that was. “Oh! Wait a minute, that’s…” she trailed, and then his name came to mind rather quickly. “Levi!” 

The head snapped around and caught a glimpse of her, and recognition snapped in his eyes. “Lila? Lila Lancelot?” 

Saeran seemed perplexed, but not bothered by her knowing someone. She had spoken to plenty of people who seemed to be strangers but never to her, nobody was a stranger when she knew their style or their social handles. Though, Lila’s tone told him that she couldn’t believe that this guy was out and about here. 

Lila waved at the man.

He was one of her fans, and by extension, one of the people that she often interacted with online. She could call him a friend of sorts since they often spoke about shared hobbies and interests that they had. Levi had always been rather shy in answering her questions but once she had slowly shown him that they had a lot in common, it became easier for him to chat. 

She had no idea where he was from. However, he was a cosplay buff and spent a lot of time showing progress on his work and putting himself out there. She enjoyed seeing it on her timeline every now and again. The two of them had shared many fashion tips over the last few years but she never had thought she’d see the guy in person. 

“Yeah,” Lila beamed as she strode over to the man. “I didn’t expect to see you here. Here I thought with your wild hours you lived somewhere outside of time. Guess I was wrong about that, hahaha. I see you finished your TSL cosplay, too. It looks great in person! You must have hand-dyed the fabric to get this shade.” 

Levi’s eyes sparkled, the shock in his eyes gone away as she complimented him. His face turned red and he looked away from the short girl. “Y—Yeah! You’re the first person that’s noticed. I should’ve known that you of all people would remember that. You’re almost as big a fan as I am! I mean, not as big as me since I showed you the series but close!”

“Well, duh,” Lila answered. “I could never usurp the master!”   
There was a small cough behind her head. She giggled, and then looked back at her boyfriend to clear up some of the confusion. “Oh, right, my bad. Saeran, this is one of my online friends, Levi. Levi, this is my boyfriend, Saeran.”

Levi glanced between the girl and her boyfriend. He wasn’t surprised at all by that fact. Her social media handles had been years of dress work and coordinates until recently, as she started sharing more of her life with the community. However, there was a bit of shock to the corners of his eyes as it had occurred to him who Saeran was, and why his face seemed familiar. 

Someone in his family had made a deal with a man that looked faintly like Saeran. 

There had been a bit of a fuss back at the House of Lamentation about it because the man had gotten caught. He wasn’t going to say it outright, but it seemed like Lila was the main character of her own wild story. Not that he was jealous or anything, his own family had gained their own main character in Azalea, and she was his truest friend. 

Not that either of these two knew that he was a demon, either. 

He wasn’t going to let one of his human friends figure that out. Especially not one that humored him and his messages so often! 

“I see, this is the mystery man you’ve been hiding,” Levi chuckled, even though there was a small pang of jealousy in his chest. What had he ever thought that she would be interested in him? “Lolololol, I was starting to think that you were going to give everyone a grand reveal like that time when the main character in Help-I’ve-Started-Dating-A-Cult-Member-And-His-Boss-Is-Trying-To-Get-Rid-Of-Me, showed her love to the world to prove he was a victim!” 

Her boyfriend tensed at her side. 

Lila smiled at him, reassuringly. “I’ve been waiting for Saeran to feel comfortable with me showing him off to everyone. I wanna gush about him but consider yourself one of the first people to know what he looks like.” 


	25. Vampire

  
VAMPIRE

She stared up at the ceiling of the dark and sullen room that she had awoken in. It was far too dark, too dark to even see her hand in front of her face.

It was the way that things worked now. She had come to accept that she would never know what the sun felt like that on her skin ever again, and she knew that it was a fool’s dream to even dare think about any light that wasn’t from the faint light of a candle or the moon. 

Her humanity had been taken from her long ago, but she ached for the chance to know what it felt like once more. A dream to never come to reality, she knew. Her master forbids it. The woman would never let her have what she wanted. That was how Rika was. She took pity upon people who were at the end of their life, or in danger, and saved them. 

If you called being transformed into a creature that existed in spite of God a blessed gift, then this is what her protection was. Protection that came with the price of loyalty. You may live forever and know the taste of power but you will only obey her whims and stay away from the sunlight. Lila couldn’t remember a time when she didn’t live this way.

Even the memory of the heat on her skin brought nothing to her now. The last time she had dared to tempt the power of fate, her fingers had been burned away, only to regenerate when she returned to the darkness. For a girl that once dreamed of being able to free to travel, she was bound in more shackles and chains than ever. 

It was lonely. 

Two hundred years was a long time to exist without any company apart from her master. Yet, that all changed one day when Rika brought in a boy to join them, he was maybe nineteen years old, perhaps even twenty, but his face was so slender and young. It was as if he had never seen the sun for it to age him at all. 

Lila was put in charge of taking care of this human, as her master had things to attend to and take care of. This human was to benefit them greatly. She had plans for him that involved him being deep into his studies for hours. He seemed to not know how to interact with others, either, as the two of them had disjointed conversations often. 

He had questions about the outside world. 

She had no answers to give to him. 

In a way, they both had been trapped and locked away. Perhaps, this was why it was so easy for Lila and Ray to exist together. Neither of them knew how to interact with others so there was no weight to try to do something or fill the silence with words. Most of the time, they spent in the silence and dark of the room they existed within. 

On occasion, she would whisper to him things that she had told no one for centuries. He would tell her his dreams and hopes in return. A vampire and a human getting along… it was a rare sight, one that one could say might have never happened if the universe didn’t align itself to be that way. Lila couldn’t for a moment ignore how sweet he smelled. 

But, she did. 

She did her best. She had no claim to him and she refused to drink from anyone that didn’t offer it. Rika would often give her blood to sustain her life force, but when that didn’t happen, she would take from the animals and beg for their forgiveness afterward for their gift. Her throat was burning now and she needed to focus on ignoring it. 

She got up and went to search for Ray. 

Ray was a people pleaser, trying to prove that he could learn faster than the master expected of him to do so and he did it with ease. Lila was impressed by his caliber and hoped the good news would please the master well. She found him hard at work again, smiling broadly as her fangs faintly jutted from her lips. 

As if on cue, he turned his head to see her staring at him with that longing gaze. The candlelight in the room faintly illuminates her features to him. Her skin was ghastly white and the need to consume the life force of another was so strong that her eyes had begun to darken. Yet, she stayed put, not moving to come toward him at all. 

“You haven’t had anything in days,” he said, quietly. “Have you?”

“How can you tell?” she countered. 

The nerves ate at his shoulders as he tensed, “You won’t come to me when your thirst is strong. You always stay away, or at least far enough that you think you won’t hurt me. Is the Savior not back yet? She always comes back in time to give you the… blood.” 

She turned her gaze away from him for the longest moment. There was something odd in his tone that she couldn’t quite place. What was he implying? How could he tell that her throat was aching and it wouldn't be much longer until she had to venture out on her own to get what she needed to keep her survival prolonged? 

“She’s taking care of countless things, you know that. She has not returned but I know she will. This isn’t about me, Ray,” she said, quietly. “I’ll take care of myself. I merely came to ensure that you were faring well in your studies.” 

Slowly, he walked across the room and his smell became stronger, much more powerful, and as it grew, so did the thirst in her throat. His mint eyes trained on her like a wildfire about to consume her being, and she hesitated, daring not to breathe in everything of his. 

“Please,” he said, fingers shaking as he reached out toward Lila. “I can see it in your eyes. You won’t last much longer without it, right? Take my blood. It’s the least that I can do after how much work you put into taking care of me.” 

Lila hesitated. She stared at his outstretched hand, knowing where the blood was flowing freely and so dangerously close. If she got a taste of him, she feared that she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from simply taking all of him for herself. She wasn’t like that, she didn’t think with a greedy mind, but when her thirst was high?

It was a thin line. 

“Please,” he repeated. 


	26. Genderbend

GENDERBEND

Ray held her breath as long as she could. She was hesitating, nervous because she had been so infatuated with this man ever since the moment she caught a glimpse of his eyes on her cell phone and the rest was history. His carefully crafted style, the way he smiled, how he knew how to be so tender yet so sweet, and oh, the fact that he was finally there with her instead of a sea away. 

Oh, yes, she knew this princely man was finally here. 

She could see him now whenever she had the time, and he would smile at her so charmingly that every carefully crafted thought was forgotten and tossed out the window. She raised her hand to tap on the door, slowly and then giving in to her temptation, “Liam? Is it alright if I come in?” 

“Always,” the voice on the other side responded. So, she opened the door and entered, closing it behind herself to ensure that nobody would bother them. She wouldn’t dare think any of the believers would come and bother him when she only got a few fleeting moments with Liam. But, she would never take any chances with them. 

She saw him. 

His brown curls that framed his face so delicately, and the way his dress shirt made him look like the otherworldly prince of her dreams. She had a type, she knew. Ray nervously tucked a strand of white hair from her hair behind her ear, knowing that her bob cut did nothing to hide her pink cheeks as much as she hoped. 

“I’m glad you came by,” Liam said, his smile never leaving his face. “I’ve been thinking about you ever since we spoke this morning on the phone.” 

He had been thinking about her? Really? Truly? Ray could feel her heart start to sputter against her ribs. She prayed that it would keep quiet and not let him notice how excited that made her feel. She did her best to politely keep her hands together in front of herself. “R—Really?” 

“Of course,” he strode across the room without a care in the world, not knowing what he did to her when he did that. Liam was just a bit shorter than she was, but that mattered not, because every time she looked at her, it felt like she was gazing up at him. She could imagine sinking to her knees and giving him thanks every moment for looking at her with those deep brown eyes. 

Just as an altar, just as a good loyal devoted member would do. Her Savior was a kind man who had given her a place to stay and a reason to fight but Liam simply gave her a reason to live just by giving her his love. 

“I couldn’t stop thinking about how we’ve got different meanings culturally for some of the same flowers. I know I kept you up for a while at a late hour just to hear you tell me what you know that I don’t, but I would love to return the favor now,” his touch was always tentative but gentle, as he nudged his fingers against hers. 

His eyes were steadfast on her own. “Is there anything that you want to know about that I can tell you?” 

Ray could feel the stutter on her lips, and even though she tried to keep her cool, she never could keep it around Liam. It was a curse and a blessing that she wanted so badly. Her heart told her to say that she should ask how he felt about her but her brain told her that it was too soon and if she rushed him, she wouldn’t know if he was simply being nice or truly sincere. 

He always was honest and true. 

But, her heart feared verbal rejection. 

“I…” she swallowed, training her mint eyes back onto him. “I suppose there are a few things that I would be interested in learning about, prince. If it’s alright with you, I have a few minutes to spare this evening. Perhaps… you could discuss this with me in the garden? Hands-on?” 

Liam chuckled, and her stomach flopped. 

“Of course, Ray. I would love to accompany you.” 


	27. Horror

  
HORROR

“I almost wanted to believe this household had finally gained some semblance of sanity with more than that brat here.” 

“You don’t know the half of it.” 

That was putting it lightly. Vanderwood let out a sigh as the chaos in the bunker got louder from the other room. There was the telltale sound of Minji’s laughter and then, something crashed on the floor with a solid thud. It sounded like Saeyoung hitting the ground but neither of them was going to even comment on the matter. 

Lila would surmise that the two of them had started another wear with Nerf guns or water guns. She wasn’t entirely sure which it was. She didn’t want to ask because the last time that happened, she had been curled up in the closet, holding her breath and praying that they wouldn’t find her or ruin the dress she was wearing. 

What a nightmare, she noted. 

It sounded like they were having fun at least. 

She leaned over and poured the rest of the tea into their glass with a smile. It wasn’t all bad, though, even though those two were chaotic and knew no hesitation… well, she had never felt like this before. It wasn’t like that when she was growing up. She was always prone to be ignored and when she wasn’t in the background, her parents wanted her to make gold and earn a peace prize. 

She liked that there was laughter in the house, even if it was silly. Judas didn’t always humor their games and would join her for tea often, and Saeran would’ve popped in for a cup too if he wasn’t sleeping after a long night. So, that left her alone with Vanderwood who dropped by every now and again with the excuse of: “I have to make sure that that brat hasn’t annoyed any of you to death.” 

Vanderwood was secretly a bit softie, but Lila would never point that out to tease them. 

She liked their company. They may have been stern and plagued with the memory of years of watching over the master of disaster, but they were really easy to get along with and the kind of person that just knew how to tell it like it was. 

Saeran found it really easy to lament over Saeyoung with them whenever he got the chance, too. It was just nice to have someone that understood the chaos. 

“No sugar, right? Just honey?” she beamed, paying no mind to turn her head when another crash was heard. She had learned by now what they liked and it was really only a verbal check to ensure that they weren’t feeling like it was time for a change or two. Lila took her seat once more and idly took a bite from one of the sweets that her partner had made. 

“They’ll stop when Judas gets up,” she said. “He, Saeran, and Saeyoung have started working with Jumin on a big project but the first two were the only ones that went out to check on the details last night, believe it or not. I’d tell them to mind their noises but honestly, every room in this bunker is sound-proof.” 

“Oh, I know,” they said. They had definitely scolded Saeyoung enough to know that no screams would ever be heard from the outside of this place. “I just appreciate that you’ve come to the trouble of always setting aside time in your week no matter what they’re doing here.” 

Lila smiled. “Well, I think it’s important for us to all stay in touch. It may be wild around here but that doesn’t mean that I can’t enjoy myself. The little things matter. I don’t want to take things for granted, but like, within reason. I can enjoy good tea time with my family, you know, not start a water war at six in the morning.” 

Vanderwood took a sip from her cup, “Well, at least someone here has some sense.” 

She took that as a compliment. 

Lila appreciated that she had friends these days, even if some of those friends consisted of people that she never thought that she would ever know. From a former informant to some hackers to some bakers to some idols to some businessmen to a former agent. In the sea of mystery, she couldn’t say that she ever thought that she’d be friends and family with so many interesting people. 

Of course, she had the foresight to duck when she heard the sound of a chuckle behind her head only to lift her head back up to see that Vanderwood had been hit dead in the face with a Nerf dart. She knew that those two were in big trouble now, and a sheepish smile appeared on her face. “Oh, dear, it looks like they got you.” 

They pulled the toy from their face, eyes glowering in the direction of someone with red hair. Oh, he was going to regret that cheap shot. “Speaking of sense, I think someone finally lost theirs. I hate to get involved in these things but... it would be rude of me to allow them to torment you since that was clearly aimed at you.” 

Lila pressed her hand to her heart and sighing dramatically. “Oh, really? That’s so very sweet of you, Vanderwood, you’re my hero today. I’m so honored. I’d hate to be Saeyoung right now.”

A loud yelp was heard. 

“I told you that was a meowy bad idea!” 

“Hey, you said it would be hilarious!” 


	28. Bad End

BAD END

“Did you really think that you would win?”

Saeyoung had no right to speak. He had failed, he had failed everyone and it was all his fault. Mint Eye had been prepared for them from the start and the only thing he could do was demand that Judas get Minji out of there and protect her from now on. He had given Saeran everything he wanted, he taught him everything he knew until his fingers bled. 

Then, he was locked away tight in the basement for quite some time. So long that he thought that he would never see the light of day again. The only thing that kept him going was the hours that Saeran’s assistant stopped by to offer him food and pity. 

Well, he hoped it was a pity, but the hatred and numb look in her eyes told him otherwise. 

At least, Saeran wasn’t alone in hell. 

He didn’t know what he expected to happen after he ensured that Saeran knew how to destroy whatever he wanted. 

But, he should have known what was coming. He should have known. But, he could do nothing to stop it from happening. That was why when the RFA came to this place, one by one, he finally understood what happened. 

The pieces all came together once and for all. The person in charge of Saeran had been Rika, and she was beyond reason and beyond the person, he once knew her to be. She had left the RFA, only to come back and take them all away from V, one by one. They were manipulated and swayed easily without him there. 

Well, “he” had been there. 

Saeran had stolen his place, pretending to be him and tricking them all to come to this living hell. By the time any of them realized their mistake, Rika dug her talons into them and there was no hope for them. Saeyoung had to watch as all his friends and loved ones slowly suffered because of his misdeeds and became warped, angry, and lost. 

One by one, they all devoted themselves to her cause without question. 

All the while he could do nothing but see it happen and pray for the end to take him for this misery was too much to stomach. It was the price for all his sins, and he knew, he knew when he was dragged from that dungeon and dropped on his knees in the throne room, that this was what he had earned by leaving his twin behind. 

His twin, gazing at him, sadistic glee in his eyes as the RFA all stood on his side. Saeran had everything and everyone now. He wasn’t alone anymore, and even if this was hell, he looked so happy to have all of this and Saeyoung on knees, submitting to his fate that lay ahead. Be it death or isolation until he wished he was dead. 

“As if you would ever lose to the likes of him,” Wisteria murmured. Her hand brushed against Saeran’s shoulder and a delighted laugh escaped her lips. “Is it everything you ever wanted? Is this the moment you’ve dreamed of, my darling?” 

The laughter that escaped Saeran was wild, crazed, and very pleased. He was on the throne, he was the king of this paradise now. He had everything in the palm of his hands and nothing was ever going to take it from him again. He could live the rest of his life knowing that he won in the end and it felt like it should. 

“It is,” he said. “Now, it’s his turn to know what it feels like to rot in the darkness where nobody will come to save him. It’s a fitting punishment. He won’t die. But, he’ll wish he was dead. He’ll beg me to kill me but I won’t do it. His punishment is to live with his sin.” 

This was his punishment. 

Saeyoung accepted his fate in hell, if only because his brother finally looked happy. 


	29. Villain

VILLAIN

"Tell me, Ray," Wisteria beckoned him to come closer and when he only moved a fraction of an inch, a sigh escaped her lips sounding akin to strong disappointment. She raised her hand and pointed to his spot. "I don't want to scold you, but you know I will if I must. Come here, now." 

The sound was quite enough to jolt him to move faster as he took his spot in front of her, on his knees, gazing up at her from the chair she was currently sitting in. She liked it better this way because he was too tall for her to get him to do the same when they were standing. 

It was the least he could do, no, it was what he was expected to do and he was happy to do it because she cared for him as no one else ever dared to. She had appeared out of the blue into his life and ensnared everything that he thought he knew about himself and flipped it on its head where he knew nothing but her words to him. 

Ray didn't know how he had lived his life with her, no, it was like his life hadn't even started until the moment she smiled upon him like an angel sent from heaven above. If he thought that the Savior had been blinding and dazzling charming, he didn't truly understand what the word meant until her. 

His breath caught in his throat, as his eyes lifted to meet her gaze only to sink just a bit lower as not to linger in her vision too long. He was lowly, he didn't deserve to have more than what she gave him and this was enough. His body craved more, but that was because he was earthly-bound, sinful, and wrong. 

His tainted soul was nothing. 

She seemed amused by his failures, and the faint sound of her giggles made his stomach churn and his heart race. Compared to the click of her tongue and the distasteful way she had the capability to use, he would take the sounds of her laughter any day. Even if it meant that he was a fool. If Ray was a fool, so be it. 

He was her fool. 

Only  _ hers _ .

Ray hesitated, but her hand touched his cheek, prompting him to look back at her as much as he was willing to do. "Yes, my angel?" he muttered, his voice shaking and a bit unsure of himself. "Yes? What can I do for you? Tell me, tell me and I will make it happen for you, no matter what happens to me for it. What do you want to ask of me?" 

Her smile didn't fade as he pitifully spoke and that's what his vision focused on. 

"Oh, Ray," she breathed. "You pitiful thing... my poor, sweet, pathetic Ray. You wouldn't know what to do if I wasn't here to take care of you, would you?" 

He shivered but nodded his head. 

"Yes," he whispered. 

Did she know how ethereal she looked on the throne? How her sympathy knew no bounds? How the vision of her was too much for him to handle? How she bathed herself in white and cream and was everything that his former Savior was not? 

How she had taken everything around him without breaking a sweat? How he submitted to her will only after a few days of her soft hands caressing his cheeks with sinful words behind them only intended for him? 

If he thought this place was a paradise before now, it was the truest sanctuary now, and he wanted to drown in her light faster and faster and faster until he couldn't breathe again. He didn't need the elixir to be high on this feeling. He just needed her praise and love until the end of time. Her grip suddenly tightened, curling into his hair as if a warning. 

"Yes?" she echoed his words as if expecting more to that statement. 

He squirmed, biting back his gasp as he realized his mistake. 

"Yes— Yes, my... Yes, my Savior," he corrected himself as quickly as he could. "Forgive me, please. I forget myself when you shine your light upon me, I—

"Oh, Ray," this time, however, she  _ was  _ disappointed. Her hand was dangerously tight on him as he stared into her brown eyes that lost their warmth. "It seems you still have a lot to learn... Why don't we get started? I’ll take care of you. Even if you trip and make mistakes, I’ll always welcome you into my embrace. This is my paradise, oh, forgive me, this is  _ our  _ paradise. You’re the one that wanted me to be stronger, remember? So, let me do the same for you."


	30. Swap

  
SWAP

Her eyes were so tired but she wouldn’t stop for a moment. It didn’t matter how much they burned or ached. She couldn’t stop for a moment. Her Savior would not only scold her for failing to complete her project, but she wouldn’t be allowed to see him again. She couldn’t let that happen. She refused to let it happen. 

Lila had worked so hard to bring him here and she refused to let him be taken away. 

It didn’t matter if she was worthy of his attention or not. She wanted him to be happy and safe in paradise no matter the cost to her own body. She had learned to live and breathe hacking and she would keep doing it till she physically couldn’t. Even if her heart screamed for the sunshine and the light, she made no point in getting up. 

Her Savior was a kind man, with mint hair and mint eyes. He had saved her from herself long ago and she was forever in his debt. Whatever he wished for, she would do it, no questions and no arguments. It would happen. Even if it meant that she couldn’t be with Saeran when she wanted to be. 

As long as he was here, it would be okay. 

He was safe. 

She wouldn’t dare let that liar and golden child get her hands on Saeran. He didn’t deserve to be close to such a person. She wouldn’t allow him to be hurt by that woman just as she had been hurt. She just refused the notion. It was bad enough that he had to interact with her on that messenger, she didn’t dare want to see her anywhere near him beyond that. 

No… 

She didn’t want to imagine a place where he could be close to that liar in any capacity. She just had to bite her tongue and keep working as Saeran did his best. He was doing everything that she asked of him and she had to have faith in him that he could gain all the information from the members of the group that they needed and then he could be removed from that situation. 

God, what if they were tricking him? Lila needed to know that he was okay. Her nerves and pooling pit of dread only grew every time that she thought about what Saeran could be dealing with. 

She lifted her phone with a trembling hand and hit his number, pulling the device to her ear. “Hello? It’s me, Lila. I sincerely hope that I’m not interrupting anything.” 

His voice sounded like honey on the other end. “Ah, no, not at all. I’m glad that you called, actually. I was wondering when I may get to see you again?”

Was it just her or could she hear the sound of a smile on his lips? She sighed, hopelessly craving to trace the sound to its source. “I’m afraid it may not be today. I have a lot of work to catch up on. My boss is very orderly when it comes to due dates and I have to keep things running smoothly. If… if I could, I would wish that we could enjoy the evening together.”

“Certainly you can continue your work after a break?” Saeran asked. 

That voice of his sounded so hopeful. 

God, could there have been a more perfect person? His heart was so vast and wide, she wanted to drown in the feeling. All of her nerves suddenly felt like they were miles away. She couldn’t even remember why she had been so worried that she wouldn’t be able to hear from him. He wanted to see her! 

She chuckled. “I wish that were the case, my prince. Unfortunately, I have to complete my duties on time. If I could put it down for a moment to see you again… I would, I promise. If it’s any consolation to you, I will prepare for your evening meal.”

“That’s very kind of you,” he murmured. 

She would move the sun and the moon for him. Her suffering was nothing as long as he was smiling and free. 


	31. Halloween

HALLOWEEN 

"Sometimes, I can't believe just how far we've come, Saeran. I never thought that I would ever have this many people around me to call friends." 

"Mmm. I never thought I'd have I'd family this big, either." 

"Getting soft on me, aren't you? That's the first time I've heard you call everyone a family." 

He snorted. Saeran leaned over and captured her hand in his as they watched the RFA party go to full swing around them, quests chattering and talking, dancing, drinking, and having all kinds of fun and mischief.

It was lively, more people than either one of them could count. 

Halloween was a tedious event but Minji and Saeyoung insisted that the next party had to be fun and lively to make up for the past. They'd both settled on Halloween. It wasn't much to pick at, just making sure that donations came in and they wore some silly costumes. 

Neither one of them was good at saving face in a crowd. Lila could, but she preferred not to put herself out there when she could be spending her time with him instead. Rather, she was far happier smiling and thanking guests for their donations with him in the corner of the room, tallying up the marks for Jaehee. 

Saeran was almost certain it was an excuse for Minji to dress like a cat, or Saeyoung to dress up like a nurse. He didn't even want to say he knew what Judas was doing. The rest of the RFA were more reasonably dressed. 

It took a lot of pulling to get him to agree to it, but he could never say no to Lila when she gave him those puppy eyes. She was dressed as he had asked, well, it was the first thought that came to his mind. He just said, "Angel," and she ran with it. 

Of course, she took care of his look to match, by playfully teasing that he was her devil that she'd fallen for. Saeran mentally had to disagree, he'd say she was the angel that he had crawled from the lowest circle of Hell for. 

She squeezed his hand. He had to admit that the halo that stayed above her head never felt more true than in that moment. "I mean it. I feel the same way. It is like a family. They surely get on one's nerves enough to be considered that way." 

"Huh," he muttered. 

"That, and I know you're secretly having a good time," Lila teased. He ignored the heat that rose on his cheeks when she smiled. Her thumb ran circles against his palm. "There it is, now that's my sweet devil." 

Saeran could play two at that game. He used his free hand to capture her face, nudging her chin in his direction as he caught her lips into a soft kiss that lasted for only a few seconds. 

She let out a gasp and squealed in surprise. 

"Saeran!" She blurted when he pulled away, her fingers resting against her bottom lip where she could still feel his heat. Her heart fluttered in her chest. It was a bit too fast now. 

it was his turn for a playful smirk. "What? You said I was your devil. It would be wrong of me not to take advantage of your sweet naivety like that, angel cake." 

She huffed, the most she could manage to do when the rest of the world could see them and see how much she loved him. 

Naturally, she was always happy to be with him and nothing ever mattered when they were alone. She would always welcome his warm lips that tasted faintly of strawberry and mint. He was trying to start a roleplay with her by acting like that. 

To see him come out of his shell? She'd gladly act a little huffy and peeved when normally she would swoon and pepper his face in kisses in rebuff. 

"Tempting me, are you? That's very bold of you to do to an angel, even from a demon."

He smirked, "I have a feeling I'll be able to get into your shiny heart no problem." 

As if he wasn't already buried deep into the fabric of her soul.


End file.
